Lily's Place
by kaleidoscopicepic
Summary: A collection of short stories about Lily from fifth year on, all taking place in her “silent place” as she calls it. This story will include Lily's friends in later chapters. Inspired by a place near where I live.
1. Chapter 1

Lily's Place

Chapter 1: Prewett Nature Park

Harry Potter FanFiction

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

**Summary:** A collection of short stories about Lily from fifth year on, all taking place in her "silent place" as she calls it. This story will include Lily's friends in later chapters. Inspired by a place near where I live.

**Disclaimer:** If you think that I own Harry Potter, please note that my name is not JK Rowling, and that there might be a spot near Prof. Lockhart in St. Mungo's for you!

Every afternoon after classes, or if things were just getting too hectic, Lily had a place to go. In her mind she just called it her Silent Place, but in reality it was known (or unknown) as Prewett Nature Park. The park was named after the family who had donated the land to the town of Hogsmeade. It was only three-quarters of a kilometer from Hogwarts, but no one seemed to know about it! She was okay with it being empty every time she went there, of course, that's why she went.

Fifth year was hard. Each year had gotten progressively harder, of course, but fifth year was O.W.L. year and every teacher had given the class a lecture on it. Lily was still excelling at almost everything (she was only scraping Acceptable's in Transfiguration) but it wasn't getting any easier.

The bell rang, signaling the end of Potions with Professor Slughorn. Lily dipped a flask in her potion, corked it and set it on the professor's desk. She then Vanished the contents of her cauldron and rushed out of the dungeon before Potter could find the time to ask her out. The day was over and it was time for a walk.

Setting off from Gryffindor tower at a quick pace, Lily managed to avoid the Marauders and her friends Severus and Marlene. She slowed her pace as she exited the Entrance Hall, and walked over the grounds, past the Black Lake, around the forbidden Forest, and finally to the entrance to the boardwalk over the wetland park. It was only late September, so the sky was gray and raining. The plants were changing from green to bright reds and yellows, birds sang in the bushes. As for that, the only other sound one could hear were the light _clump clump_ of her footsteps on the wet boardwalk. She got to the viewing platform on the end where one could see Hogwarts and the Black Lake, without being seen yourself. Here she could sit and read whatever book had caught her eye at the library, or sing to herself, or just think about what was happening at school, her favorite lines from a book of movie, or a funny incident in Defense Against the Dark Arts that morning. It was her Silent Place, her place of reflection.

Lily had discovered the park in first year. Her mother had always told her that taking a walk could help one calm down or solve a problem. The first few weeks of Hogwarts had overwhelmed her, so that's what she did. On her second walk around the grounds, she had come upon the park and fallen in love with it immediately. The way the birds sang, or the large trees hid the place from sight of the school, or the fresh smell, so different from the slightly musty smell of Hogwarts. Whatever it was, it kept her coming back.

Lately, though, she had been coming less and less often. She never seemed to have enough time, or she had too much homework, or she just plain forgot. That was what made Lily realize how much she needed the place.

Today, as she walked back from the viewing platform, rain began to fall. She tipped her head back and laughed, pulling her hair out of its usual bun and shaking it out. The raindrops fell in her eyes and she blinked rapidly. Back at the entrance to the boardwalk, she put her bun back in (she never wore her hair down when she wasn't alone) and checking in it in her little hand mirror; she realized that the drops on her face looked like tears. She hurriedly wiped them off, hoping superstitiously that they were not some sort of bad omen.

**A/N: **Does anyone know when Britain adopted the metric system? And is half a mile about three-quarters of a kilometer? I just guessed. Thanks lots for reading. Now, you could really make my day if you could review!! I have lots of chapters planned, but they won't come unless someone reviews:-)


	2. Chapter 2: Unexpected

Lily's Place

Chapter 2: Unexpected

Harry Potter FanFiction

Saturday, January 19, 2008

**Summary:** A collection of short stories about Lily from fifth year on, all taking place in her "silent place" as she calls it. This story will include Lily's friends in later chapters. Inspired by a place near where I live.

**Disclaimer:** If you think that I own Harry Potter, please note that my name is not JK Rowling, and that there might be a spot near Prof. Lockhart in St. Mungo's for you!

Lily didn't particularly enjoy this time of year, but the Gryffindor common room was getting much too noisy for her tastes and so she was going out. It was early October, which meant that it rained a lot, snowed every once in a while, and got muddier than should be allowed anywhere. She went up to her dormitory, pulled on her favorite bright red boots and clumped (as softly as humanly possible) down the staircase and out the portrait hole. Potter tried to ask her out on the way, but Lily ignored him. She tromped down the staircases, barely avoiding Peeves by taking a detour through an empty classroom, and made her way through the entrance hall and out the tall front doors to the grounds.

She walked on a relatively dry path for a while until she no longer wanted to go toward Hagrid's Hut. Then, she gingerly stepped onto the muddy grass, slowly making her way on the tips of her toes across the grounds. After a painfully slow 15 minutes of making her way across the grounds, she got to the edge of Prewett Nature Park.

The wet wooden boardwalk was a welcome change from the muddy grounds. She stomped the caked mud off of her shoes and started to walk. She stepped quietly so that all around her the few birds still around would continue singing and the trees (now half-bare) would keep up their whispering. Just as she walked around the corner, she heard a voice. A voice she recognized. This was the voice of her best friend Marlene. She bravely kept walking, to investigate this intrusion of her private and special place. Marlene was standing on the viewing platform talking quietly to an owl. Lily recognized the owl to be Athene, who belonged to the McKinnon's, her best friend's family.

"Now, Athene, I don't want people to see you leaving Hogwarts. My brothers especially." Marlene turned around hearing Lily's soft footsteps. "Who is it?" She asked more loudly. "Oh, Lily. It's you!"

Lily nodded. "Since when have you been coming here?" she said in a tone slightly more hostile than she had intended it to be.

Marlene was taken aback. "Since last June. When Ellie died I needed somewhere to go, so I came here. Why? What's the matter?"

Lily looked miserable. "Yeah, I miss her so much. I guess I just come out here to calm down and recuperate after class. The common room was just too loud to concentrate, so I took a break from my homework and came here."

Marlene nodded. "I have to send Athene off without my brothers knowing. I'm really sorry not to be able to tell you either.

Lily shrugged. "It's okay. I'm sure it's important."

Once the owl was released, the pair stood next to each other and just looked at the scene.

"Sure is beautiful, isn't it?" asked Lily.

"Mhmm." Replied Marlene. "That's one of the reasons I enjoy being out here."

"Oh!" exclaimed Lily. "I was under the impression that you came here for the gooey goopy mud!" she laughed.

"Well, that too." She responded, giggling.

Worries forgotten momentarily, Lily and Marlene started on their way back to the castle and their mounds of homework.

**A/N: This chapter didn't go as planned, but I think it turned out okay anyway. Marlene wasn't supposed to turn up for another couple of chapters, but she just walked on in and demanded a space! We may not hear more about what happened to Ellie for another couple of chapters, though you've probably already guessed it includes Voldemort.**

**Please read and review!!!!**


	3. Chapter 3: Who Can Tell?

Lily's Place

Chapter 3: Who Can Tell

Harry Potter FanFiction

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

**Summary:** A collection of short stories about Lily from fifth year on, all taking place in her "silent place" as she calls it. This story will include Lily's friends in later chapters. Inspired by a place near where I live.

**Disclaimer:** If you think that I own Harry Potter, please note that my name is not JK Rowling, and that there might be a spot near Prof. Lockhart in St. Mungo's for you!

February was cold and sharp. The snow crunched under Lily's feet as she walked across the grounds after class. Potter had set a new record today by asking her out 6 separate times, and she felt that she needed some peace and quiet.

All of trees and bushes were blanketed with deep snow that would not melt until April. The top had frozen into a crust that would bear Lily's slight weight. She had not come to the park in a few weeks as her homework had almost overwhelmed her, and was looking forward to seeing what the walk was like with a deeper covering of snow.

Lily stooped to pick up a handful of undisturbed snow and brought it to her face, smiling blissfully into the blessed coolness of it. The Herbology greenhouses were always kept stiflingly warm, and she was glad to be out of them.

James sat in his dorm room examining the Marauder's Map. Lily went someplace after school many times and he wanted, needed to know where. His curiosity would not rest until then. His finger found the dot labeled _Lily Evans_, and traced it as she walked hurriedly across the snowy grounds, and, he gasped, off of the map! "Where could she have gone?" He said aloud.

"What was that?" inquired Remus.

"Oh, just Lily." Replied James.

"Mmmhmm." Nodded Remus, used to James.

Lily arrived at the park, smiling broadly. She was in her favorite place, her favorite way: by herself. As she came to the viewing platform, she stopped and leaned against the railing looking out on the scene. A pond covered with a thick coating of ice, and leafless trees hanging over it. A steep hill, covered in brush, behind that. On her opinion, it was beauty.

James was going insane. He was pacing back and forth, driving Remus crazy.

"Why do you need to know where she is?" Remus asked, finally snapping. "She might possibly want some alone time once in a while, or maybe she just wants to get away from a _certain fifth year who asks her out EVERY OTHER SECOND!_"

James looked startled, like he had just woken up from a deep sleep. "Really? You seriously don't think that she likes it?"

Remus just about fainted. "For a boy who claims to be in love, you notice surprisingly little about your girl! Seriously! You are always teasing one of her best friends, she likes to be left alone but you ask her out twice a day! What does it take for you to notice?"

James blinked, sat down on his bed and stared at Remus, open-mouthed. "Uhh, umm, I dunno?"

Remus sighed and went back to his book.

She and Marlene had come here a few times together since they had met at the park in October, but she was glad to be here alone. When she was here by herself she could do all of the things she came here for. Lily could (and would) dance, sing and take her hair out of its tight, strict bun. Those were the things for her. These were the things that only her closest muggle friend, Maggie, could see and do with her. With her smooth auburn hair out and falling down her back to slightly past her hips, she leapt far above the ground, skipping and singing quietly. Once she was tired out, she leaned against the railing and looked again at the hill and over at the tall towers of Hogwarts. She put her hair back up and walked serenely back towards the school.

James Potter was sitting in the common room when Lily lightly leapt in through the portrait hole. He looked up, but for some reason unknown to Marlene, he did not ask her out. She was sure that the two would be perfect for each other, if James would only grow up, and Lily would only accept him. "Oh well." She thought to herself. "They'll see in time."

**A/N: Here goes another chapter. This was originally Chapter 2, but it got bumped. I have a total of 14 chapters planned, but if you have any ideas go ahead and review with them!! I'm hoping to get more than one review this chapter, but one can never tell! If you are reading please do review, it prompts me to post more often! Thanks lots and lots for reading!!!**


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